


Lacking Wit

by animenutcase



Series: The Misadventures of the Family Known As The Shepherds [10]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 16:32:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1785838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animenutcase/pseuds/animenutcase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cynthia couldn't understand why Severa wasn't more like her mother.</p><p>(Companion to Lacking Grace)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lacking Wit

Severa’s father was one of the younger member of the Shepherds and often talked about how the others had treated him like a kid for the first several years his membership. That was something Cynthia could sympathize with, being the second-youngest member of her own group.

Severa’s mother was strict and meticulous, but Cynthia understood that she was just trying to lead the Pegasus Knights and keep Phila’s legacy alive. Cynthia admired her for that.

What Cynthia couldn’t understand was how the same woman could have given birth to Severa. 

From the very beginning, the two of them hadn’t gotten along. Severa was rude and nasty, even to her own mother. Cynthia’s own parents had made sure that she understood that she needed to be respectful of her elders, so seeing Severa mouth off to her mother made Cynthia scandalized.

There was also the issue of Cynthia’s mother. Because Cordelia was usually away working, it often fell to Cynthia’s mother to look after her, and as a result, Severa often spent the night with Cynthia and her family, as much as neither of them wanted to.

Cynthia’s mother was patient with Severa, far more patient than Cynthia would have been in her position. She would read Severa stories and sing lullabies to help her sleep, just like she would for her own daughter. This didn’t go unnoticed by Cynthia, who didn’t like the implications of her mother treating another child like her own, and this made her relationship with Severa even worse.

The only time Cynthia could remember them "getting along" was when their mothers died. They spent a whole night hugging and crying. Even then, though, that wasn't enough for them to get along. Worse yet, their fighting ended up having horrible consequences.

Cynthia wasn't sure which of them had started the fight. She could only remember that Inigo had tried to get them to stop bickering. They had been arguing so loudly that they hadn't noticed the Risen until Severa's father had yelled. Cynthia couldn't remember the specifics of the fight, only that it ended with Severa's father (her tall, handsome, kind father) dying as Cynthia's own father scooped the three of them up as Inigo's parents moved to finish the Risen off.

After Cynthia's father had brought them to safety, he told them to go hide while he went to help the others fight.

No sooner was he gone than Cynthia felt Severa's fist in her face.

She kept telling herself that it was just as much Severa's fault as it was hers, but for whatever the reason, Cynthia couldn't bring herself to care. She just stood there and let Severa vent her rage until Inigo had pulled her back.

The two of them spent the next several years avoiding each other. Cynthia went about trying to become a hero, while Severa got nasty enough that Cynthia would have thought she were a villain. The way they'd greeted each other when the Shepherds had found Cynthia ("Hey." "Hey.") had been the first time they'd exchanged words in years. After that, it was like the antagonistic relationship that they'd had until their parents died was brought back with their meeting their parents' past selves.

Cynthia was, by and large, glad to have met her parents. Not only did this give her a chance to finish the spearhead with her mother, but she'd even picked up some of her mother's wisdom. Cynthia's father hadn't been very receptive to the heroic entrance she'd conceived for him, but he seemed content to spend time with her.

Severa, meanwhile, was just as nasty to her parents as she'd been in the future. She would have felt smug about it, but she could tell that Cordelia and Ricken were bothered by it.

It was during a birthday celebration for Nah's father that she walked up to Cordelia and asked if things were going okay between her and Severa.

"It's very kind of you to ask, Cynthia." Cordelia smiled at her. "Severa and I got off to a rocky start, but I think we're getting along much better now. And I think that she and her father are getting along better now, too."  
"That's good."  
"Sometimes, though, there are certain emotional scars that take a long time to heal, and I suspect that it'll be a long time before she can get past them."

Cynthia shifted uncomfortably where she stood.

"But how are things going between you and your parents, Cynthia?" Cordelia asked. "When Sumia first introduced her daughter to me, I noticed that you were a Pegasus Knight as well."  
"Yep!" Cynthia grinned. "I vowed to become a great Pegasus Knight just like my mother and the woman who kept Phila's legacy alive!"  
"The woman who... Are you referring to me?"  
"Of course!" Cynthia nodded enthusiastically. "The brave and strong Cordelia who assumed captain-hood at a young age, but led with grace and dignity!"

Cordelia gave a small cough as her face turned red.

"I-I'm sure you're exaggerating!" She stammered.  
"Nope!" Cynthia chirped back. "You were amazing in the future! Some said that if you hadn't..."

She trailed off for a moment, her smile faltering slightly.

"Some said that you probably would have surpassed Phila had you been able to lead for longer than you were... able to."

Sensing the subtext behind her words, Cordelia straightened herself up.

"I see." was all she said.

For a moment, the two just stood there awkwardly, hoping the other would say more. 

In the end, it was Cynthia who spoke up first.

"The woman who replaced you was terrible." She said quietly. "She went through the motions of leading the Pegasus Knights, but everyone could tell that her heart wasn't in it. It was like she'd already given up hope that the war could be won. Within a few years, the Pegasus Knights had sort of fallen apart. There wasn't anyone to really lead them. You were strict, but only because you believed it was possible and you wanted to push the others into believing as well."

Cordelia stared at Cynthia for a moment before she quietly asked

"Did my leading the Pegasus Knights end up straining my relationship with Severa?"  
"I didn't think so, but..." Cynthia replied hesitantly. "But maybe Severa did."

Seeing the unhappy look on Cordelia's face, Cynthia quickly continued.

"But it was a really dark time! After Chrom died, the people needed someone to lead them. For the Pegasus Knights, it was you. And for the Shepherds as a whole, it was my father. Sure, it might have been lonely sometimes, but... Sometimes a hero has to make sacrifices for the greater good."

Her intention had been to reassure her, but Cordelia only looked more concerned.

"Do you think that if your time had been more peaceful, I would have had more time for Severa?"  
"Oh, definitely!" Cynthia nodded enthusiastically. "I bet your job would have been easier if you didn't have to constantly be on watch for Risen."  
"I see." Cordelia said as a smile finally graced her face. "That just means we'll have to work harder on winning this war, won't it?"  
"Yep!" Cynthia grinned. "That's why we came back! It's always good for heroes to team up!"  
"Well, perhaps we should "team up" with your mother to bring Stahl's cake out." Cordelia chuckled as she gestured toward Sumia, who was headed for the kitchen to retrieve the cake Gaius had prepared.  
"Good idea!"

The party ended without any trouble, and Cynthia walked back to the barracks with her mother.

"I saw you talking to Cordelia at the party." Sumia asked as they walked. "Did you have a nice chat?"  
"Yes!" Cynthia chirped. "It's good to know that she's just as strong and cool as she was in the future."

Sumia chuckled.

"I'm glad to hear that."  
"Oh, but don't get me wrong, Mother!" Cynthia quickly added. "You and Father are still the most heroic in my eyes!"

Sumia gave a small blush.

"That's very sweet of you to day, dear, but I still have a long way to go before I think I can be anyone's hero."  
"And so do I!" Cynthia grinned back. "We can get better together!"  
"That sounds like a nice plan."  
"Maybe Severa and I can train with you?" Cordelia spoke up from behind them.  
"That would be fun!" Sumia smiled back. "Friends helping each other improve..."  
"Heroes inspiring each other... That's the most heroic thing I've ever heard!" Cynthia said excitedly. "Maybe I can even come up with a heroic entrance for all of us!"  
"I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself, dear." Sumia laughed, but let the girl dream anyway.

Cordelia simply gave a small laugh.


End file.
